Zhonghua Gate, means Chinese gate, was the biggest and most splendid city gate of Nanjing city wall in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The gate was built from 1366 to 1386 and originally named Gate of Gathering Treasure, since legend says in the construction, the wall collapsed again and again before a Box of Gathering Treasure was buried under. The whole structure was built with huge bricks and special cement made from lime, tung oil and sticky rice juice, extraordinarily strong.

 

The gate from south to north is 128 m in depth, 118.5 m in width and was built with huge granite rectangular stones and bricks. Besides the normal facilities of a typical city wall like the compound, the draw bridge, the watching towers and ramparts, the most particular unique structure of this city wall gate was its special cave where soldiers would hide.

 

The delicately designed gate has four archways, and three trap cities which were the enclosed vacant lots between the archways. On the gate, there are 27 hiding caves where more than 3,000 soldiers can ambush in wartime. The biggest one is 44.34 meters high, 6.84 meters wide. Every archway has a wooden gate, and in addition an iron gate, which would be put down from top of the city in case of the wooden one was broken through. Then those enemy soldiers entrapped in the trap city would be cleaned by the ambush with ease. On the top of the tower, there used to be a watchtower and other structures.

 

The gate affords stunning views of the city and is a good place to see Nanjing's landscape and to get your bearings.